Why not head south to Hat Yai.
You asked for:
clean air - 95% of the time, very rarely we get the Indonesian haze extend as far as us
low cost of living - cheaper than a lot of Thailand
busy enough to have lively markets - plenty of markets and shopping
some notion of transit/buses - good transport
lots of restaurant options - plenty of restaurants
a decent airport - Hat Yai has a good airport with plenty of domestic flight options plus Singapore and KL
As a bonus we have several good hospitals
You didn't want, be we do have
nightlife
Western restaurants/groceries
Downside
She ain't a pretty town, and its not on the coast
We live just north of a war zone, the city has increased security, but every now and again someone sets a bomb off
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You say that, but there are often complaints, even in this thread, that such and such ISP providers fiber connection is bad yet another post will praise the same ISP. In many rural areas the fiber connection is only to the nearest microwave or satellite link, and depending on how many subscribers that shared link can just get overloaded. Where you live is certainly a factor to consider.
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Since a couple of weeks back I've been getting an error message when looking for Windows updates.
When I first noticed it I was off on an overseas trip so left it until my return. However connected to the Internet in Johannesburg I got a Windows updates available message, so the issue isn't with my computer. Now I'm back home I've checked again and the problem still exists, that is unless I connect to my AIS MiFi, or use my TOT connection with the VPN. So the issue isn't with my computer, nor I guess with my router, but seemingly with my TOT connection.
Anyone have any ideas or found similar issues?

I moved SGD10,000 from Singapore to Thailand beginning of the month, yes TransferWise charged me SGD54.23 which is SGD24.23 more than my bank, but the difference in exchange rates meant I still came out a little over Bht4,000 better off. Using TransferWise the monies arrived the next day, usually via my bank it's the same day, but with the rate guaranteed there's no real issue.
Until someone suggests something better I'm sticking with TransferWise over SWIFT.

Our row of shophouses back on to the river, many of the units are multi-occupancy, mainly students from the nearby Hat Yai University. You might think they'd know better, but no, rather than take their bag of rubbish down to the street and leave it for collection, they just hoy it off the roof into the river or onto the bank. One of the reason we get rats and then snakes is the rubbish on the bank, there are daily rubbish collections so no excuse for dumping rubbish.
As for fly tipping in Hat Yai, it's endemic, there's builders rubble and household waste dumped on many vacant lots. The worst was after the 2010 flood, there were piles of spoiled furniture and ruined appliances everywhere in the city.
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